Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma Predisposing to Recurrent Infective Endocarditis by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in a Patient with Intracardiac Defibrillator (ICD).

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a rare group of extra-nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas resulting in infiltration of the skin by the malignant cells. Sézary syndrome (SS) and mycosis fungoides (MF) are the most common subtypes, and infectious complications are the major cause of death in such patients. The presence of implantable cardiac devices (ICD) and CTCL make the patient more vulnerable to the device-related infective endocarditis (IE) caused by methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The need for reimplantation of ICD should be assessed in detail and non-cardiac conditions should be considered while making such decisions. Herein, we report a unique case of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy with an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD), who later developed CTCL, complicated by the recurrent right-sided IE which is caused by MRSA. Key Words: Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Infective endocarditis.

STEMI and COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia.

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant impact on health care worldwide which has led to a reduction in all elective admissions and management of patients through virtual care. The purpose of this study is to assess changes in STEMI volumes, door to reperfusion, and the time from the onset of symptoms until reperfusion therapy, and in-hospital events between the pre-COVID-19 (PC) and after COVID-19 (AC) period. All acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) cases were retrospectively identified from 16 centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 period from January 01 to April 30, 2020. These cases were compared to a pre-COVID period from January 01 to April 30, 2018 and 2019. One thousand seven hundred and eighty-five patients with a mean age 56.3 (SD ± 12.4) years, 88.3% were male. During COVID-19 Pandemic the total STEMI volumes was reduced (28%, n = 500), STEMI volumes for those treated with reperfusion therapy was reduced too (27.6%, n= 450). Door to balloon time < 90 minutes was achieved in (73.1%, no = 307) during 2020. Timing from the onset of symptoms to the balloon of more than 12 hours was higher during 2020 comparing to pre-COVID 19 years (17.2% vs <3%, respectively). There were no differences between the AC and PC period with respect to in-hospital events and the length of hospital stay. There was a reduction in the STEMI volumes during 2020. Our data reflected the standard of care for STEMI patients continued during the COVID-19 pandemic while demonstrating patients delayed presenting to the hospital.

Echocardiographic parameters associated with recovery in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to determine the clinical and echocardiographic parameters of patients with recovered heart failure (HFrecEF). METHODOLOGY: Sixty-seven patients (cases) were identified as heart failure with recovered ejection fraction (HFrecEF), defined as improvement in EF ≥ 10%. Sixty-nine patients (controls) were randomly selected by convenience sampling with no or <10% improvement in EF (HFrEF non-recovered). RESULTS: The mean interval between baseline and follow-up echocardiography was 10.5 months in cases and 11.2 months in the control group. HFrecEF showed a 22.7% improvement in mean ejection fraction, and HFrEF non-recovered group also showed a minor increment of 5.5%. HFrecEF patients were significantly younger (49.51 vs 57.54 years, P .001) with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (86.6% vs 52.2%). Patients with HFrecEF had significantly less left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (LVEDV: 162.51 mL vs 208.54 mL, P < .001; LVESV: 119.81 mL vs 157.13 mL, P < .001) and index left atrial volume (37.66 mL vs 47.09 mL, P < .001) than patients with non-recovered EF. The right ventricle (RV) and inferior vena cava were significantly dilated with higher mean tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) among patients with HFrecEF than HFrEF non-recovered. CONCLUSION: Based on univariate analysis, younger age, non-ischemic etiology, LVEDV, LVESV, deceleration time, better TAPSE, dilated right ventricle, dilated IVC, and smaller left atrial volumes were found significant, but on multivariate logistic regression model only left ventricle end-diastolic volume, left atrial volume, and TAPSE were linked to the recovery of ejection fraction.

Low inappropriate shock rates in patients with single- and dual/triple-chamber implantable cardioverter-defibrillators using a novel suite of detection algorithms: PainFree SST trial primary results.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have been well demonstrated in many clinical trials, and ICD shocks for ventricular tachyarrhythmias save lives. However, inappropriate and unnecessary shock delivery remains a significant clinical issue with considerable consequences for patients and the healthcare system. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the PainFree SmartShock Technology (SST) study was to investigate new-generation ICDs to reduce inappropriate and unnecessary shocks through novel discrimination algorithms with modern programming strategies. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter clinical trial enrolled 2790 patients with approved indication for ICD implantation (79% male, mean age 65 years; 69% primary prevention indication, 27% single-chamber ICD, 33% replacement or upgrade). Patients were followed for a minimum of 12 months, and mean follow-up was 22 months. The primary end-point of the study was the percentage of patients remaining free of inappropriate shocks at 1 year postimplant, analyzed separately for dual/triple-chamber ICDs (N = 2019) and single-chamber ICDs (N = 751). RESULTS: The inappropriate shock rate at 1 year was 1.5% for patients with dual/triple-chamber ICDs and 2.5% for patients with single-chamber devices. Two years postimplant, the inappropriate shock rate was 2.8% for patients with dual-/triple chamber ICDs and 3.7% for those with single-chamber ICDs. The most common cause of an inappropriate shock in both groups was atrial fibrillation or flutter. CONCLUSION: In a large patient cohort receiving ICDs for primary or secondary prevention, the adoption of novel enhanced detection algorithms in conjunction with routine implementation of modern programming strategies led to a very low inappropriate shock rate.